


Stars In Your Eyes

by scelestus



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: (or is he??), Awkward Crush, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Dates, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Hwang Hyunjin, Pining, Secret Crush, awkward jeongin in general, felix being the bestest friend ever, hyunjin might or might not already know that, intentionally unintentional, jeongin is a cute awkward baby bread, minsung being the voices of wisdom, this is gonna be cliche but idc i love hyunin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27483466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scelestus/pseuds/scelestus
Summary: After an incident involving spilt coffee right on Valentine's Day, Hyunjin asks Jeongin to fake-date him until graduation so the girls in their school will stop asking him out. Jeongin (stupidly) agrees because he might or might not be secretly in love with Hyunjin.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 78
Kudos: 135





	1. All I See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back door is a jam and hyunin are cute. that is all.

“Is he here yet?”

“I haven’t seen him.”

“I’ve been waiting all morning for him!”

“I know, right? I even got to school early!”

The high-pitched voices of the girls in his class continue as Jeongin sets his bag down onto the table, having just arrived. It is a cold but bright sky-blue morning of February―the fourteenth to be exact.

It is Valentine’s Day. No wonder the girls are all bustling about waiting to give chocolates to their crushes.

“You guys are waiting for Hyunjin-oppa too?”

“Of course, who else?”

“No one compares to him, really.”

Or crush, singular, to be exact.

Jeongin knows of Hwang Hyunjin. In fact, one must be living under a rock to not know Hwang Hyunjin, the tall, handsome basketball star player of their school with a friendly, warm personality to boot.

The older boy is like the epitome of a main shoujo manga character coming to live. No wonder all the girls in his school are crazy over him.

And maybe some of the boys, too.

Like maybe _Jeongin_ might have a little crush on him, too. Not that anyone knows.

“You gonna give chocolate to that Hyunjin guy too?” a deep voice resounds above, breaking his musings.

“It’s Hyunjin- _hyung_ ,” Jeongin hisses, grabbing his best friend down to sit next to him so hopefully no one can hear them. “And of course not. He probably doesn’t know who I am!”

“I doubt he knows the girls in our class either, but look at them.” Felix signals to the group of girls at the door watching the hallway for the first sign of the older boy.

“Yes, but they’re―girls. And they’re cute. I’m just―”

“Don’t you dare say ugly because I will Thanos-snap you,” Felix warns.

Jeongin pouts. “ _Average_ , okay. I’m just. Average, nerdy Jeongin who is too shy to speak to anyone, let alone Hyunjin-hyung.”

“It is true you should speak up more. They threw the Class President title and duties onto you because no one else wanted to do it and you couldn’t say no,” Felix rubs his chin thoughtfully.

“See,” Jeongin sighs. “So no, I will not give him chocolate.” _Even though I want to_ , he broods internally.

Felix pats his head comfortingly, and Jeongin snuggles into the touch. The other boy is so nice, what is he doing being friends with Jeongin? He has no doubt that once Felix’s Korean gets better and he can show his lively personality more to everyone without the language barrier, the foreign boy will become more popular and then he will forget Jeongin ever exists.

Because Jeongin is just―Jeongin. Boring, normal Jeongin who is awkward, lanky, wears braces, and definitely doesn’t belong in the same category as Felix or Hyunjin.

So he will keep this crush quietly with him until it fades away. One day.

“You gonna stay after?”

Jeongin looks up from his journal to Felix who already has everything packed in his backpack, ready to go home. The bell had rung a few minutes ago and already the classroom is empty, everyone too eager to rush outside to give chocolates to their crushes or to go on dates.

“Yeah, I have to look over the attendance list and mark all the absences, plus schedule the cleaning duty for next week.”

Felix shakes his head. “Seriously, this is why no one wanted to be the Class President.”

Jeongin waves his hand lightly. “It’s not too much trouble. Go. I’ll leave in a bit. I might ask the teacher some questions too if he’s still here later. You know I don’t mind staying after.”

“Wish I have the same drive as you for school, buuuut I’m gonna stop by the arcade. They have a new shooting game out!”

Jeongin laughs. “Of course.”

“Of course,” Felix agrees. “But because I’m also the bestest friend in the world, I bought you this.” The other whips out a Latte out of nowhere, grinning.

“When did you―”

“While you were busy being the good Class President that you are, I went down to the Caf to get you this before they closed for the day. Am I great or am I great?”

“The best,” Jeongin giggles, sipping on his new drink.

After waving good bye to Felix, Jeongin goes back to his journal. It is relatively quiet as he works aside from the muted voices of people outside the windows that he can hear. He likes this kind of calm quiet, it is the best environment to work in― 

―Until there are sudden loud booming voices and increasing footsteps as if there is a marathon right outside the hallway.

Jeongin frowns, his concentration disrupted. The footsteps are only getting louder, as if they’re heading towards his direction. Curious, he leaves his seat, taking his drink with him, and tries to peek out the door.

He doesn’t see anything―whatever it is must not have reached his classroom yet, but he can certainly hear the squealing of many female voices, all yelling together so he doesn’t understand what they’re saying exactly.

Jeongin is about to open the door a bit more when the door in question swings wide open―someone must have opened it from the other side, and then a body colliding with his, hard.

“Wha―” he gasps as he is flung backward, stumbling a few steps. The drink flies up in the air and ends up right smack dab in the chest of whoever it is that had just entered the room.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry―” he gasps, taking in the scene before him. The other person must be tall, for Jeongin can only see his chest looking straight ahead. A very _wet_ chest that is now staining brown their normally-white school uniform. “Are you okay? Are you hurt―”

Jeongin doesn’t get to say more, for there is a palm covering his mouth as he is pushed further into the room, the other person closing the door behind them.

Only seconds later, the rumblings of the footsteps he had heard from outside come back, and this time he can physically feel the ground shake as what must be twenty or thirty people running in the hallway past his classroom.

“Where is he?”

“He was here just now!”

“Oppa, where are you?”

“Hyunjin-oppa!”

“‘ _Hyunjin-oppa_ ’―” Jeongin tries to repeat through the palm covering his mouth when he hears a “ _Shhh!_ ” from above.

It is only when he looks up―and god, why didn’t he look up sooner to see who it was?―that he finds the very face of Hwang Hyunjin staring back at him. The taller boy’s palm is still covering Jeongin’s mouth while his other hand is wrapped around his back from when he was pushing Jeongin further into the room, and―

And Hyunjin’s chest is still dripping brown from the coffee Jeongin had spilt on him only seconds earlier.

Worst moment of his (admittedly very short) life? Jeongin will reckon so.

“Mnshphmh―” He attempts to say.

The older boy glances back at the closed door, noting the fading footsteps, and finally releases him. “Sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure they didn’t know I was here.”

“Aalfdjsa,” Jeongin attempts again and finds he can’t make a single coherent sound even though there is no longer anything covering his mouth.

“Are you okay? Did I push you too hard earlier?” the older boy asks in concern.

“That should be _my_ line!” Jeongin gasps, finally able to form actual words.

“Which line?”

“The ‘I’m sorry’, and ‘Are you okay’, and, and―” the younger sputters, flailing his arms around in an attempt to gesture at Hyunjin’s shirt and the now-empty coffee cup on the floor.

To his surprise, Hyunjin simply laughs. “Nah, think that was kinda my fault for just bursting into the room like this. Trust me, I’ve tried the other classrooms while running, but yours was the only unlocked one―just in time, too!”

True. As Class President, he holds the key and was going to lock it once he left, but still! “B―But your shirt!”

Hyunjin sniffs, wrinkling his nose. “Well, I guess it could’ve been a worse drink to be dumped on. Being stuck smelling like coffee isn’t too bad. Sorta.”

“God I am _so sorry―_ ” Jeongin groans, squeezing his eyes shut. “If there is anything I can do to make it up to you… Washing your shirt to get the stain off? Money for a new one? Anything―” Is there a worse way to being able to talk to your crush than dumping coffee on him? He doubts it.

“It’s fine,” the other waves him off. “I have gym clothes in my backpack I was gonna take home to wash today, so I can just change to it for the time being.”

‘For the time being’ turns out to be ‘right now’, because the older boy takes off his backpack, starts unzipping it, takes out a T-shirt, then proceeds to _strip_ right in front of Jeongin’s eyes.

“Eeek―!” Jeongin squeaks out. He might’ve stolen glances out the window whenever the seniors had gym classes outside, but he certainly does not expect a _view_ like this, today, this moment, ever―!

Embarrassed, he squeezes his eyes shut again, this time covering them with both his palms for extra security as he stutters, “W―Why are you―”

“Why am I changing?” He hears Hyunjin asks, chuckling. “What’s the big deal? Aren’t we both guys? God, are you blushing? That’s so _cute_.”

Jeongin squeaks again, flailing his body around as his hands try their best to cover his eyes and not let him see _that which is forbidden_. “I’m not―it’s just _you―_ ” Jeongin doesn’t have a problem with boys changing their clothes in front of him in general. God knows he and Felix see each other all the time when they stay over for a late-night gaming. Not to mention during the locker room before gym. But the problem is―

The problem is this is _Hwang Hyunjin_ changing in front of him, his crush that he daydreams and sighs wistfully about every other day!

“Okay I’m done, you little baby,” Hyunjin announces with a lilt to his voice.

“I’m not a baby!” Jeongin protests automatically, having been called a baby from too many people for too many times, despite him being in high school already! When he chances to look again, Hyunjin is thankfully clothed in his gym shirt now.

“Aren’t you? This is the second floor, meaning you’re a junior, right? So you’re younger than me by one year.”

“That doesn’t make me a baby!” Jeongin whines, feeling the distinct feeling that he’s being teased by the older boy right now, with the way Hyunjin’s eyes are twinkling and the slight smirk curling at the corner of his lips.

“I don’t know,” Hyunjin hums. “You certainly _look_ like a baby to me.”

“I don’t look like a baby―!” Jeongin barely has time to protest when both of them can hear the rumblings of footsteps getting closer again.

“God, when are they gonna give up?” Hyunjin groans suddenly, startling Jeongin.

“Were you running away from those girls earlier?” the younger asks curiously. “Why? They were trying to give you chocolate, right?”

“It’d be nice if that was all they were doing, but they also asked me out. When I turned them down they kept insisting that since I’m not dating anyone right now, I _must_ choose someone, otherwise they won’t give up because I’m still single. It’s so annoying.” Hyunjin huffs in frustration.

Jeongin nods in understanding. Not that he understands Hyunjin’s exact predicament seeing as he is nowhere near popular, but not wanting to go out with someone you don’t like? Jeongin feels that.

 _This is why you’re still single, Yang Jeongin_ , he berates himself internally. _Because you keep waiting hopelessly for someone you’ll never be able to date._

“He must be here somewhere! This is where we last saw him!” a female voice brought him out of his thoughts, and Hyunjin cringes.

“They’re getting close!” the older boy gulps. “They’re never going to give up, are they? They’re gonna find me, are they?”

“Umn…”

Jeongin’s slightly unsure voice brings Hyunjin out from his panic, and the older suddenly looks at him like he’s seeing light for the first time after being stuck inside a cave.

“Wait, you.”

“Me?” Jeongin asks.

“Yes, you,” Hyunjin nods, stepping closer. “You asked if there was anything you could do to make it up to me earlier, remember?”

“Well, yes…?” Jeongin takes a step back, confused.

“Well, here’s your chance!” Hyunjin says, all smiles and looking like a total angel with his light blond hair. This is no time for Jeongin to gush, though, for the older continues, “Date me.”

Jeongin blinks. Surely he’s misheard. “What?”

“Go out with me.”

“No no no, _what_?” This definitely cannot be happening. Hwang Hyunjin, his crush for some odd years, is asking him out? _The_ Hwang Hyunjin, most popular guy in school and the dreamboat of many girls (and some guys)?

“Be my boyfriend,” Hyunjin continues as if he means what he says. This is when he glances down to the only opened journal in the empty room and reads, “Yang Jeongin?”

“You cannot be seriously asking me out,” Jeongin squeaks, heart thumping inside his ears.

“I am,” Hyunjin replies, and Jeongin is about to die from happiness, from feeling like maybe there is some light in his life after all, that maybe he’s not boring awkward insecure Jeongin, and that maybe he means something _more―_

Then Hyunjin says, “At least, sorta. _Fake-date_ me. Pretend to be my boyfriend, please.”

―and all his hopes come crashing down.

“What… do you mean?” Jeongin mutters, lightheaded.

“Well, you see how those girls will keep chasing after me until I’m taken? Because they all think they can be ‘the one’, or whatever. It’s getting tiring. So I thought, what better way than to actually be taken, at least in their eyes, so they will stop bothering me?”

“Then why not ask a girl? I’m a―a boy…”

“I don’t care if you’re a girl or a boy, I think I might be bi,” Hyunjin shrugs casually. “It’s just I think it would be easier if I was dating a boy? Then those girls will believe there is absolutely no chance left for them, since they can never be a boy. If I was dating a girl, they might try to look like her, or harass her, thinking I can like another girl.”

“But… But why _me…_?”

“To be honest? Because the idea just popped into my head now,” Hyunjin shrugs again. “Plus you seem nice, and responsible―you’re the Class President, right? I don’t want a blabbermouth who can’t keep a secret.”

“I… I guess…” Jeongin mutters, dejected.

Hyunjin must’ve mistaken his sad face for something else, for he says, “Oh no, am I imposing? If you don’t want to do this, that’s fine! I realize this is out of the blue, and we don’t even know each other! This will be only until graduation, but if you don’t want to, I will ask someone else! The coffee incident is no big deal, trust me―”

“No it’s fine!” Jeongin blurts out before his mind can catch up to him. Because even if this will be fake, even if this will be only until graduation―four more measly months―to be able to date Hyunjin, no matter how fake it will be…

To be able to talk to him daily, maybe hold his hand, be beside him and not have people question you, being able to be the person who is supposedly closest to him, that he _likes―_

Even if all of that is fake, Jeongin will still take what he can get.

“I’ll do it. I’ll be your fake boyfriend,” Jeongin says, determined, and his heart both swells in happiness and bursts in pain from the sweet smile Hyunjin gives him afterward. 

Because he is a fool. A fool for Hwang Hyunjin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> minsung come in next chapter! this should have 3-4 chapters at most. a short, cute story to dabble my feet in because thIS IS MY FIRST TIME WRITING SKZ AND IM SO NERVOUS AHHHH--!!


	2. Are the Stars

_“Hyunjin-oppa! There you are―Eh?”_

_The door swings open, catching them both by surprise, and Jeongin realizes this scene must look slightly… incriminating, seeing as how Hyunjin and him are standing just a few centimeters apart while the older boy’s uniform shirt is lying carelessly down on the ground by their feet. Hyunjin’s hand is holding his meant in a handshake promise but now just looks like an intimate gesture without the context._

_“Who is that, oppa?”_

_Hyunjin’s lips spread into a wide grin, and before Jeongin can react, the hand holding his slides up around his shoulder and he is pulled into a hug._

_“Great timing!” the older exclaims. “Actually I wanted to tell you guys this all along, but the reason I’ve been single so far is because I was secretly dating Jeongin here, and now we’re finally going public on Valentine’s Day! Yay!”_

_“What?!” scream the dozen or so girls all piled up at the entrance of the room, and honestly? Jeongin is internally screaming the same thing._

If looks could kill…

Jeongin is sure he’d already be lying on the ground dead the second he stepped foot onto the school grounds.

Jeongin is more or less a wallflower at school. He’s friendly with most of the boys in his class but his only close friend is Felix, and people generally ignore him. Thus, having every pair of eyes currently on him as he walks through the courtyard, some in curiosity, some in confusion, but most in jealousy or worse, hatred, is definitely something he hasn’t experienced until now.

“That’s the guy!”

“What was his name again?”

“Who knows but he looks nothing special!”

“Definitely not deserving of Hyunjin-oppa!”

“I didn’t even know Hyunjin-oppa likes guys!”

“Wait if he likes guys does this mean I have a chance too?”

“Shut up! I had enough competition when it was me against all the girls in the school, I don’t want to compete against you boys too!”

Jeongin sighs, trying to block out all the voices and whisperings and hurry to class. Thankfully no one tried to stop him to ask questions, but that could be because he was pretty much sprinting the moment he stepped inside the schoolgate.

Too soon… Jeongin bemoans the moment he sees the door to his classroom blocked by a group of girls.

“You!”

“Yang Jeongin, right?”

“Since when were you secretly dating Hyunjin-oppa?”

 _I wish I knew, too_ , Jeongin replies inside his head. Hyunjin and him didn’t plan a story together or anything before the girls found them and Hyunjin just spewed his ‘secretly dating Jeongin’ backstory to the entire school.

“I can’t believe it’s you!”

“What magic did you put him under? How can he like you?”

Okay, this one kind of hurt. Jeongin lowers his head, staring at his dirty shoes. One of the shoelaces is undone, probably from him running earlier.

“Hey! Are you listening to us?” one of the girls yell.

“Why should he?” a voice interrupts and Jeongin instantly knows who it is by the low depth before there is a hand around his shoulder, anchoring him. “Who he dates has nothing to do with you guys!”

“It does when it’s Hyunjin-oppa!” a girl retorts.

“As far as I know who Hyunjin dates has nothing to do with you guys either seeing as none of you are dating Hyunjin,” Felix retorts. “Jeongin is. Now excuse us, the bell will ring soon.”

Felix isn’t a very tall person, but he does have a threateningly low voice that doesn’t match his personality at all (Jeongin suspects that’s the reason he hasn’t gotten popular yet, as students still think Felix is a scary person judging from his voice when he’s more like a bunny). With the other boy glaring lasers at the group of girls, they slowly part and Felix practically drags Jeongin to his desk, pushing him down to his seat.

“T―Thanks…” Jeongin mumbles.

“I can’t believe I leave school early for _one_ day and you got yourself a boyfriend??” Felix exclaims. “And it’s your crush since ages ago?? What the heck, Yang Jeongin??”

“Shhh―” Jeongin pulls him down. “It’s… It’s a long story, okay?”

“Yeah, long story ‘cause you guys have been dating in secret all this time??”

Wow, gossip sure travels fast… “That’s not really―” Jeongin tries to explain but gets cut off by the bell ringing.

Felix frowns, glaring at the overhead speakers currently chiming to signal the start of class.

“I’ll explain later, okay? Promise,” Jeongin pleads, widening his eyes.

Thankfully Felix is not immune to his puppy-eyes look, for he sighs and says, “Fine. But you better!”

“Of course! You know you’re my best friend. I wouldn’t keep anything from you,” Jeongin says, meaning it.

That seems to assuage the other boy, for he grins and proceeds to skip to his own seat.

Jeongin leans back onto his seat. Class is just now starting? There’s a whole new day ahead? Can he really survive this?

Jeongin doesn’t really know, but for Hyunjin, he’ll try.

When the lunch bell rings Jeongin had been prepared to maybe hide off in a corner somewhere with Felix to explain this dating-Hyunjin thing, but Felix barely takes two steps towards Jeongin’s seat when there are high-pitched screaming from the corner of the room.

“Oh my god, is that who I think it is in the hallway walking towards us?” one of the girls yell out.

“It is, it’s―” There are a jumble of voices yelling over each other, but Felix just crosses his arms at Jeongin.

“You. Explain.”

“Not here!” Jeongin hisses. “Let’s―”

“Hey Jeongin!”

Jeongin blinks. He wouldn’t mistake that voice from anywhere, but hearing that voice saying his name? A second time?

Felix’s eyes are as wide as Jeongin’s as both boys look up to see one Hwang Hyunjin walking towards them, the girls hovering behind him with googly, dreamy eyes.

“H-H-H―” Jeongin stutters, not believing the reality that Hyunjin is in his class, standing right in front of his desk with a tilt of his head and charming smile.

“Would you like to get lunch with me?” he asks like he doesn’t notice the whole class staring at them like they’re watching a primeshow drama.

“L-L-L―” Jeongin’s brain and mouth still aren’t working! Oh no!

Thankfully, Felix, being his usual bestest friend on Earth again, slaps Jeongin’s back to snap him out of his trance and answers for him, “Yes, of course he’d love to! Up you go, Jeonginnie!” His friend proceeds to physically hauls him up by the armpits and shoves him to stand in front of Hyunjin.

“W-Wait!” Jeongin’s voice is finally working again out of worry for his friend. “But what about you―?”

Jeongin and Felix have always eaten lunch together ever since the two become friends because, well… They’re all each other has. If Jeongin goes to eat lunch with Hyunjin then will Felix eat alone? Jeongin definitely doesn’t want that!

The other boy just sends him an assuring smile. “Don’t worry, I actually wanted to talk to our Literature teacher about the essay she handed back earlier in class. I wrote such a great paper about the book, yet she said I didn’t understand the theme? Did _she_ understand the theme? Because my feels, man, they were the feels of the author’s too, I’m sure! You feel me?”

Jeongin gapes at him, because… no, not really, Jeongin doesn’t really feel Felix, but the other boy has always been a bit… strange that way. It’s part of his charm. “Well, okay, but―”

“It’s fiiiiine!” Felix pushes at his shoulder. “Go eat lunch with your boyfriend! I need to have a debate with our teacher! We’ll see who understands the feels of the author better! Them _feels_ , Jeongin!”

With that, Felix grabs at his folder and dashes out the door, leaving Jeongin stranded with Hyunjin and about thirty or so pairs of eyes half-staring, half-glaring at him.

“Let’s go, shall we?” Hyunjin smiles at him before grabbing him with an arm around the shoulder and nudging him out of class.

And―okay, it sure is nice to feel the other boy’s arm draped across his back as they walk, and holy crap, they certainly _look_ like a couple walking through the hallway like this, but like―

Jeongin isn’t weak by any means. He might not be super macho like Chan, his neighbor hyung in university back at home, but he’s not scrawny! Sorta! So why is everyone pushing him around like a doll today?

Jeongin sniffs, his pride kind of hurt but Hyunjin’s warmth pushing against his side feels too nice so maybe this isn’t a bad trade-off.

Hyunjin guides him to the roof. This is actually the first time Jeongin’s been up here because everyone knows the roof is a place of the seniors―the cool seniors who skip classes and maybe go up here to have a smoke or two and the teachers more or less turn a blind eye to them.

To be honest, Jeongin’s always been a bit too intimidated to go up here. It had seemed like uncharted territory to him.

And his fear was correct, for he can smell smoke the moment he steps out onto the open air. Some of the students are playing cards, laughing loudly and cursing unruly. Most of them don’t even have their uniforms on but black leather jackets instead while smoking cigarettes or even weed.

“Yeah, this place is kinda… rowdy,” Hyunjin speaks up. He must’ve noticed the dubiousness in Jeongin’s eyes. “But because of that, those girls won’t follow us here. Or would you rather us eat in the caf instead?”

Jeongin pictures a bazillion girls glaring at him while he eats lunch in the cafeteria and vehemently shakes his head.

Hyunjin laughs. “Thought so. Come, I’ll introduce you to my friends.”

“Your friends?”

“Yeah, I always eat lunch with them. Speaking of which, was that your friend from earlier? The one saving you from stutterville?”

“‘ _Stutterville_ ’?” Jeongin asks, pouting. “I wasn’t that bad! Sorta. And yes, that was my best friend, Felix.”

“You _were_ that bad, but it’s okay, it was cute,” Hyunjin replies casually, not noticing the way Jeongin’s cheeks heat up at the last part. “If you want, you can invite Felix to eat with us tomorrow. My friends and I won’t mind.”

“Really?” Jeongin blinks wide, surprised eyes up at him.

“Yeah. Always good to make more friends, right?”

“Oh, thank you!” Jeongin smiles happily. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure I could eat lunch with you if that means abandoning Felix, so this works out!” Jeongin is going to befriend Hyunjin’s friends, and Hyunjin will befriend Jeongin’s friend? That… makes his chest feel warmth. Even if this relationship is fake, Hyunjin is still as nice as Jeongin had pictured him to be.

Jeongin is so lost inside his happy musings that he doesn’t notice a hand approaching closer until he feels a pull at his cheek.

“Oh geez, you’re so cute!” Jeongin blinks, snapping out of his thoughts when he realizes Hyunjin is leaning down with a grin at him while he pinches Jeongin’s cheek. “Such a good boy!” he coos. “Your parents raised you well!”

“My parents are the best,” he agrees when Hyunjin lets go, holding his cheek with a pout and hoping he isn’t blushing from the touch. “But stop talking like I’m a little kid!”

“But you are! A baby!” Hyunjin smirks at him. “Your face is so pale like the whites of a bread too! A baby bread!”

“‘ _Baby bread_ ’?” Jeongin repeats in disbelief. “I just turned seventeen last week! I’m old!”

“Sure you are, baby,” the older sing-songs.

“I am! And you’re―”

“Hey, will you guys stop flirting and go eat already?” A voice snaps both of them out of their arguing. “Lunch is gonna be over if you keep this up.”

Jeongin turns to the source of the voice to see two boys sitting down at a corner close to the balcony. Hyunjin tugs him over and Jeongin belatedly realizes that―thank god Hyunjin’s friend interrupted them, because Jeongin was about to say Hyunjin’s birthday is next month, so as of right now, they’re actually the same age, but that would mean Jeongin knew about the older boy’s birthday and that is very… stalkerish of him to know so.

“Yeah yeah, as if you care I eat lunch or not, you just wanna steal some of my mom’s kimbap.” Hyunjin rolls his eyes as he and Jeongin settle down onto the ground facing the other two boys.

“You know it, man!” one of the boys agree without shame, plucking Hyunjin’s lunchbox right out of his hands and opening it. “So… This our famous boy?”

“Yang Jeongin, in the flesh!” Hyunjin exclaims, patting him on the head. “Jeongin, meet my two no-good friends: Han Jisung, the one who only befriended me for my food, and Lee Minho, the one who befriended me to recruit me into his dance group!”

“H-Hi, I’m Yang Jeongin,” Jeongin starts, but can barely speak when Hyunjin keeps ruffling his hair and getting all the strands poking into his eyes. “Hyung, will you stop it! You’re so annoying!”

Time freezes when Jeongin realizes what he’s just said: he just called the Hwang Hyunjin annoying! Hyunjin, the crush of his life! The dream of every girls in school!

It had been a slip of the tongue because to be honest, Jeongin had never been a very touchy-feely person since young, but to outright say Hyunjin is annoying to his face? Oh noooooo. Jeongin’s short (and fake) relationship is over before it’s barely began!

Jeongin is debating maybe running away down the stairs and hiding in a toilet somewhere for all of eternity as the three other boys only blink wide eyes at him until Hyunjin suddenly barks out a laugh.

“Wow, so you _can_ talk back, Jeongin!”

“You’re… You’re not angry at me…?” Jeongin asks timidly as the older boy keeps laughing.

“It’s about time someone talks back to him!” Jisung rolls his eyes but he’s grinning at Jeongin too. “Boy here is too used to being the ‘Prince’ that it’s getting to his head. Thank you, Jeongin, for bringing him down to us mortals below!”

“Shut up, Jisung!” Hyunjin punches his friend on the shoulder before turning back at him. “And nah why would I be mad? I know I can be kind of clingy, sorry. It’s just your shy face is too cute I couldn’t resist! The way you were stuttering with your braces and your quivering eyes! Like a kid afraid of being scolded!”

“He is cute,” Minho nods sagely―the first time he’s speaking since Jeongin’s met him.

“Hey, back off, he’s my boyfriend!” Hyunjin suddenly yells, encircling both arms around his neck from behind as he leans onto Jeongin’s back.

“Fake-boyfriend,” Jisung corrects, grinning at them. “Possessive much, already?”

Jeongin looks up at Hyunjin questioningly, and the older boy answers, “Yeah, they know. They’re my closest friends, so I had to tell them. No one else knows, though! You don’t mind, do you?”

Jeongin shakes his head. “Is it okay if I tell Felix too?”

“It’s fine as long as he keeps the secret, too.”

“Okay, thanks!” Jeongin is grinning up at him as Hyunjin is grinning down, and wow, Hyunjin’s face is so close from this angle, the blond strands of his hair is brushing right by Jeongin’s ears, and―

“Oh god, they’re flirting again! This time with eye-fucking!”

“Eye-fu-fu―” Jeongin stutters in shock, cheeks bright red.

“Aww,” Jisung coos, reaching over to shove Hyunjin from Jeongin’s back. “Hey kid, you’re too cute to be the fake boyfriend of this loser-prince here. Wanna join Minho and me in a threesome instead?”

“Threesome―?!” Jeongin exclaims. It’s not like he wants to parrot back any word the older boys are saying, but seriously? This is too much for his fried brain to handle!

“Jisung and Minho are dating, and no, Jeongin will not be joining you perverts in a threesome because he’s with _me_ ,” Hyunjin drones, shoving Jisung back and reclaiming his space across Jeongin’s back again, this time with his chin resting on top of Jeongin’s head.

“Fake with you,” Minho corrects.

“Still with me,” Hyunjin shoots. “And with me until all three of us graduate and we get as far away from this innocent baby bread here as possible so you two won’t corrupt him.”

Jeongin should retort, maybe complain how Hyunjin should stop that ‘baby bread’ nickname because―really, what _is_ a baby bread? But he’s too caught up in the ‘with me until all three of us graduate’, because… Ah, right.

They’re only (fake) dating until Hyunjin graduates. Which is only a short few months away…

Hyunjin is still arguing with Minho as Jeongin goes silence inside Hyunjin’s backhug to notice, but what none of them also didn’t notice is how Jisung also goes quiet, eyeing Jeongin out of the corner of his eyes in concern.

“If he’s only fake-dating you then it won’t matter if he goes out on a date with us, right?” Minho is still saying with a lazy smile. “I like him, he’s cute and nice. And not noisy like Jisung.”

“Hey!” both Jisung and Hyunjin exclaim.

“What did you say, boyfriend?” Jisung huffs, puffing his cheek out like a squirrel which only makes Minho laughs adoringly.

“You know I like you noisy, babe.”

“That’s right you do! Especially in the bedroom!”

“Your flirting is disgusting and no Jeongin won’t,” Hyunjin cuts in, “because he’ll be going on a date with me! His actual boyfriend!”

“Huh?” Jeongin blinks in surprise, taken out of his brooding.

“Well, if we’re dating we should go on dates, right?” Hyunjin smiles charmingly down at him. “Are you free this weekend? I’ll take you somewhere.”

“Oh, umn…” Of course he’s free, but oh my god? A date with Hwang Hyunjin? Just the two of them? Alone? Oh my god? His brain is not working again?

“You’re using that killer smile of yours again. Knock it off it’s gross,” Jisung rolls his eyes.

“I’m just smiling at him!”

“Yeah, in that Prince Charming way smile you know gets all the girls within a kilometer radius of you into heart attacks. Jeongin isn’t those girls.”

There must be some hidden meaning in Jisung’s words, for Hyunjin’s expression sobers and he says “Sorry.”

Jeongin is confused.

“But I was serious, though. If you’re not busy this weekend would you like to go on a date with me?”

Hyunjin’s eyes are somber, this time, the orbs dark and deep like they’re staring right into Jeongin’s very core, and his lips move to murmur “Okay” before his brain can process what happened.

The smile blooming on Hyunjin’s face following his answer is blinding, the sun casting a halo on his blond hair, and Jeongin’s heart for some reason _hurts_.

Jeongin spends the rest of the time in a daze as they eat and joke around, and as expected, Hyunjin’s friends are as nice as he is, very welcoming and friendly towards Jeongin, even if they’re a bit strange, and Jeongin can’t wait to introduce Felix to them tomorrow.

When the bell rings, Jisung suddenly glomps Jeongin from behind and exclaims, “Jeongin, you’re adorable! Lemme squish you for a moment, okay? You’re like a fluffy teddy bear!”

“Hey!” Hyunjin protests as Jisung continue to coo at him, and Minho holds him back from stomping towards the two.

“It’s fine. You know Jisung loves small cute things. He’s like a squirrel who just found a small cute acorn. Let them be.”

With that, Minho proceeds to drag a reluctant Hyunjin away. Minho shoots them a knowing glance before closing the door to the rooftop behind them.

“Umn, Jisung-hyung…?” Jeongin asks after the other two boys are gone and Jisung is still rocking back and forth with Jeongin inside his hold like a child hugging his stuffed toy.

“You’re so cute, Jeongin,” Jisung repeats. “But you’re also too nice.”

“Huh?”

Jisung finally lets go and turns him around, and Jeongin is surprised to see the suddenly serious expression on the older’s face.

“I would tell you not to fall for Hyunjin, but that seems to be too late already, huh?”

“H―How did you―?”

“‘Know?’ It’s written on your face, kid. Hyunjin is probably the only one who doesn’t notice because he’s also like a kid in some way, very childish. Clingy. But he doesn’t mean anything by it.”

Jeongin’s gaze falls down onto his feet sadly. “I know.”

Jisung sighs. “I’m going to tell you this because I think―and know―you’re a nice kid in the short time we’ve known each other, but… Don’t fall for Hyunjin anymore than you can. You’re going to end up breaking your heart.”

“I know Hyunjin-hyung won’t like me that way, I’m nothing special―”

“No no,” Jisung interrupts. “God, you’re so sweet, Jeongin, that Hyunjin _should_ like you. I _wish_ he will, because it’s time he finds someone new already, but fuck―”

“Huh?” Jeongin looks up at the frustrated look on the older’s face.

“Hyunjin, yeah? You might think because he’s popular he’s been dating a lot, but the truth is he’s been stuck on this… one person―I don’t know who because he refuses to tell me―but he says he’s been in this _unrequited love_ for this one person since last year, and he can’t move on, and that’s why he refuses anyone who asks him out. The boy is a romantic like that. It’s sad, really.”

“Oh…”

“So like. It’d be nice if he can fall for you, but seeing as how he’s been in a one-sided love for a _year_ ―like seriously? _Hyunjin_ of all people?―I just can’t see him moving on. And I don’t want you to get hurt. More than this, I mean. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, but―”

“You’re a nice person too, hyung,” Jeongin says with a sincere smile. “Thank you for warning me. I’ll take your words to heart. Who knows, maybe this fake-dating thing will let me experience what it’s like to date him, and once I got that experience I can just… be _content_. And let him go, easier. It’s just a crush, anyway. It’s nothing as serious as love. Not like Hyunjin-hyung seems to love that person, anyway.”

Yes, this is nothing but a crush. A phase.

And Hyunjin already has someone else in his heart, anyway.

So Jeongin will simply spend the few months he has experiencing what it’s like to be close to Hyunjin, if only for a moment, and then―

Jeongin will let this crush, and Hyunjin, go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why is it every chapter starts out all cute and ends so depressingly... jeongin my poor boy...,, but ain't minsung awesome tho?? yes they are.
> 
> i changed it to 2/4 cuz idk when this fic ends man i hope not that long cUZ I GOT AN IDEA FOR A NEW SKZ FIC!! and i wanna write it so badly but i should finish this fic first lol
> 
> anyway i do hope u enjoy this chapter!! hyunin date next chapter!! and oooh who's hyunjin's unrequited love?? :o
> 
> also if u have twitter plz [follow me](https://twitter.com/hyuninacc)!! i want more stay friends and u can see me cry about hyunin there and rant about the perils of writing fics lol.


	3. In Your Eyes

“Are you crazy?” is the first thing Felix says after Jeongin explains to him the situation.

“What,” Jeongin pouts, plopping down onto his bed. They’re in his room after school, the curtains drawn to let the sun still shining reflecting onto the mattress.

“You decided fake-dating your crush of two years is a good idea and you’re _not_ crazy?!” Felix almost screeches, jumping on the bed to smother Jeongin.

“Not two years! One and a half! Ish…” Jeongin yells, trying to shake him off.

“Boy, you were gone for him during the Homecoming Basketball Game I dragged you to, and that was a month after we became first years,” Felix swats him on the head. “Which I still regret by the way. I wanted to try showing school spirit and ended up being dragged by you to _every_ basketball game afterward for two years!”

“Nothing wrong with showing more school spirit!”

“It’s not school spirit if you only come to make heart-eyes at one dude!”

“I still come to support the school, so there!” Jeongin sticks his tongue out.

“For the wrong reasons,” Felix retorts. “You’re dating him for the wrong reasons now, too.”

Jeongin deflates. “I’m just helping him out.”

“At the cost of your heart?”

“Don’t be so dramatic. It doesn’t cost my heart.” _At least, I hope not_ , Jeongin adds silently.

“This is a bad idea, Jeongin,” Felix warns, his face serious, and Jeongin feels warmth at his friend’s concern.

“I’ll be okay,” he replies. “I’m not fragile. This will just be a fun experience to see what it’s like to date Hyunjin-hyung since he graduates soon, anyway. Then this crush will go away ‘cause I’ll never see him again!”

Jeongin tries to smile to look more convincing at the last sentence, but judging from the other boy’s frown, he guesses he failed.

“Oh cheer up Felix! This will be a fun experience for you too!”

“Me? How?” Felix crosses his arms.

“Because Hyunjin-hyung invited you to eat lunch with him and his friends starting tomorrow, yay!”

“ _What?!_ ” his friend exclaims, this time in English.

Despite Felix’s protesting, the boy fits right in with Hyunjin’s group. It helps that Minho and Jisung are nice guys and equally as… weird as Felix is. Honestly, sometimes Jeongin feels like he is the _only_ normal person in the group.

Yes, that excludes Hyunjin too, because Jeongin finds out after a few lunches with them that, well… Hyunjin is quite the clingy and… childish person. He makes dramatic gasps every time Jisung steals his lunch, whines when Minho teases him, and even pouts when Felix and Jisung start speaking to each other in English after finding out they have that in common.

Jeongin is surprised, but that just endears Hyunjin to him more, since this makes the older boy an actual, _real_ person instead of this idealized Prince in Jeongin’s mind. Every day, lunch time goes by in a flash full of bright laughters.

Before he knows it, his first week with Hyunjin is over and the weekend rolls around.

The weekend meaning the _date_ is here, too.

Jeongin still doesn’t know what they need to go on a date for when it’s all fake, but maybe Hyunjin hopes some of the girls from their school will see them to make it more convincing? Who knows.

Beside, he is too worried over what to wear for the date to wonder about that, right now.

It’s Saturday morning and despite spending the whole Friday night freaking out to Felix on what to wear, Jeongin still doesn’t know. Felix had picked out an outfit for him last night, but it looks a bit too… date-y to wear. As in, too overdress. What if Hyunjin thinks he is a tryhard? What if he looks like a doofus next to a casual Hyunjin? What if they’re going to McDonalds and here he is wearing a trendy leather jacket, skinny jeans and a low top that reveals a bit too much? And was Felix the crazy one? Picking this outfit on such a cold February day?

In the end, Jeongin gives up and goes for his favorite pink hoodie and ratty jeans, looking like he _is_ going to McDonalds for all the world to see. If he still looks like a doofus next to the older boy with this outfit, then well― _everyone_ looks like a doofus next to model-esque Hyunjin anyway. 

They had agreed to meet at a bus station, and Jeongin had spent so much time deciding on what to wear that he is ten minutes late! On his sprint up the stairs he almost tripped before righting himself, but all his exhaustion wants to vanish upon seeing the older boy at the bus stop, leaning on a wall nearby.

Hyunjin is in a knit cardigan complementing his knit scarf and casual jeans, and he just looks so comfy and _boyfriend_ that Jeongin’s heart skips a beat. He is glad he didn’t listen to Felix and overdressed for today.

“S―Sorry I’m late,” Jeongin wheezes walking up to him, still a bit out of breath.

“It’s fine, you’re not that late,” Hyunjin says, turning around to fully look at him. He pauses for a second, eyes drifting down and up before commenting, “You look cute today in pink.”

“Ssljkfds,” Jeongin says, cursing inwardly because he forgot pink isn’t exactly a… _cool_ color. Especially for a guy. But this is honestly his favorite hoodie that he’s been wearing since middle school, so he had forgotten about how it might appear to be unconventional.

“Hmn?”

“I mean, you look cute―I mean hands―I mean, _good_ today too. In your outfit.” Why is he forever awkward in front of Hyunjin??

Hyunjin tilts his head, burying his face further into his scarf, and urg― _cute_. “You think? I’m actually really bad at choosing my own outfits. I was glad our school had uniforms, to be honest.”

“You would look good in anything anyway,” Jeongin blurts out before his brain can stop his mouth.

Hyunjin laughs. “Thanks.” He pats Jeongin’s head when the younger boy squeezes his eyes shut in embarrassment. “Have you eaten breakfast yet?”

Jeongin sneaks a peek to see Hyunjin smiling warmly at him. “No…?”

“Let’s go get breakfast then. I know this Cafe with really good coffee and crepes!” With that, Hyunjin winds a hand around Jeongin’s shoulder again and walks forward, pulling the latter along.

Jeongin tries to hide a smile and wishes he has a scarf like Hyunjin to hide his face behind. It’s a little chilly to be wearing just a hoodie now that he’s outside, but with Hyunjin’s hand around his back and their sides bumping to each other as they walk, Jeongin doesn’t feel much other than warmth spreading through his entire being.

The Cafe Hyunjin takes them to is one of those trendy Cafes Jeongin’s seen advertised on magazines, the type with pretty Latte Art of animals or heart shapes and the menu full of romantic, cheesy names like ‘red-hot strawberry crepe of love’ and ‘sweet winter chocolate crepe’.

This Cafe is the very definition of a Cafe to go to for dates, and Jeongin never thought he’d be at one, with Hyunjin, no less.

“Yeah the decorations are a little… pink,” Hyunjin laughs as they look at all the heart papers plastering on the wall, no doubt from Valentine’s Day earlier this week. “But it matches with you! And the food here is actually good, I promise.”

Honestly, Jeongin _does_ fit right in with all the pink, frilly decorations and that’s why he’s mortified beyond belief. “If you say so…” he mumbles.

“Are you pouting?” Hyunjin chuckles. “Don’t pout. You really look cute today, baby bread.”

“Hmnph!” Jeongin purses his lips, looking away in a fake act of mad. That’s when he notices all around him are couples, because of course it’s the weekend after Valentine’s Day. Busy couples must be going out to celebrate now if they couldn’t during weekdays.

“To tell you the truth, I want to come here more. The nutella they put on the crepes here are to die for! But sadly I don’t get to go here much.”

Jeongin turns his attention back to the other. “Why not?”

“Have you look around the place? Do you see anyone dining here alone? If I invite Minho and Jisung they’d end up all gross in front of me thirdwheeling, and being the icon of forever alone surrounded by couples is kind of awkward…”

Jeongin blinks. “I’m sure lots of other people will go to this Cafe with you if you asked.”

Hyunjin sighs. “But I don’t want those ‘other people’ though.”

Jeongin blinks again before remembering Jisung telling him that Hyunjin apparently has an unrequited love on someone, and wonders if the older boy would want to go here with his love but just couldn’t ask them out.

Jeongin hadn’t realized he’s been quiet, lost in his thoughts until Hyunjin speaks again.

“I mean, it’s nice girls think I’m―good-looking, or whatever. But like, that’s all they see, you know? My appearance.” The older boy exhales, looking sad, and that makes Jeongin’s heart hurts.

“I’m sure not everyone likes you for just your appearance,” Jeongin speaks up.

Hyunjin looks up.

“You have other good qualities too!” Jeongin continues, suddenly embolden with wanting to cheer Hyunjin up. “Like, you play basketball really well―you’re the Ace! And you’re so nice. I saw you taking the time to accept all the chocolates from the girls and apologizing to each one after we started dating. And you’re nice to me, and to my friend Felix. You invited us to eat lunch with your friends! And you always give food to Jisung-hyung even though you complain. And Minho-hyung teases you all the time but you don’t actually mind it. And―”

Jeongin trails off when he notices Hyunjin is hiding his face behind his scarf again, cheeks pink.

“You’re making me blush, Jeonginie.” Hyunjin says, chuckling.

“W―Well, I was saying the truth!” Jeongin clears his throat.

“Thank you,” Hyunjin says, closing his eyes with a smile, and Jeongin feels that all his sudden… fervor was worth it. That is, until the older boy opens his eyes with a mischievous look. “How do you know I’m good at basketball, though?”

“O―Oh, I watch the games sometime! School spirit and all that! Felix loves dragging me to watch!” Lies. Other than that very first game, he’s usually dragging a kicking and screaming Felix who would rather play games at the arcade to watch Hyunjin’s basketball matches. 

“School spirit, huh?” Hyunjin repeats, a corner of his lips tilting up in a smirk.

“Yeah!” Thankfully, the conversation is interrupted by the server bringing them their lattes and crepes.

That was close! If Jeongin hadn’t stopped himself in time, he would’ve revealed much more about how much he knows Hyunjin is a nice person, through two years spent stalking―or rather, _quietly watching_ him.

As Jeongin stuffs his mouth with the crepe, he thinks Hyunjin is right, the food here is good! And the Latte Art they did is so cute too! Jeongin had picked out a bear that he’s still hesitant on drinking for fear it’ll ruin the cute art.

“It’s good, yeah?”

Jeongin looks up and nods. “Thank you for bringing me here.” Then, because he is a masochist or something, he adds, “Even though you didn’t have to.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, because…” God, it’s like he actively _seeks_ for pain or something. “You didn’t have to, because this isn’t… real.”

There’s a long silence as Hyunjin stares at Jeongin who is struggling not to crack his head against the table due to his sheer stupidity at bringing up how this is all fake, when the older boy speaks up.

“Well, just because this isn’t real doesn’t mean I shouldn’t treat you well, right? After all, you’re doing me a favor.”

Jeongin nods, because he’s afraid his voice will break if he speaks.

Here he is, sitting in a romantic cafe with the love―crush, it’s just a _crush_ ―of his life, on an apparent date, and Hyunjin is so kind and wonderful and treats him so well but all Jeongin wants to do is _cry_ , for some reason.

Because this isn’t real. Because Jeongin is just doing Hyunjin a favor, like the older boy had said.

But he badly wishes this to be real.

“Jeongin, are you okay?”

Jeongin quickly nods again. _Don’t cry, you dummy!_ he scolds himself internally. _Who the heck cries while eating crepe in a cafe sitting across from Hwang Hyunjin? You’re so stupid!_

“Of course I’m okay,” Jeongin replies, clearing his throat. “This crepe is so good, and you’re so nice, I’m kinda touched. Haha.”

Lies.

“Are you sure?” Hyunjin asks. He keeps staring at Jeongin like he doesn’t believe him.

“Of course!” Jeongin exclaims with vigor, shoving a strawberry into his mouth.

More lies.

But this whole relationship is a lie anyway, so Jeongin might as well lie some more.

Hyunjin doesn’t need to know that being with him, like this, like a _couple_ , is both a blessing and a curse.

Hyunjin doesn’t need to know that every kindness the older boy bestows upon Jeongin makes his heart soar for joy yet he can’t enjoy it because he can’t breathe.

Jeongin _can’t breathe_. He’s struggling for air in a sea of every smile, every touch, every casual hand around the shoulder Hyunjin is giving him.

 _“At the cost of your heart?”_ Felix had asked him.

His friend was right.

Jeongin finishes chewing, wipes his mouth on a napkin, and plasters on the brightest, happiest smile he can form on his lips. “So, where to next, Hyunjin-hyung?”

“Oh!” the older boy brightens up at the mention of what they’ll do next. “I was thinking we can go to this park. It’s so beautiful, there are lots of flowers and a water fountain and birds! We can feed the pigeons, and―”

Hyunjin continues rambling, and Jeongin smiles and nods along, but the older boy’s voice sounds so far away, echoing distantly.

 _Even if it’s at the cost of my heart_ , Jeongin decides, _as long as this is helping Hyunjin, as long as he’s happy, then I’ll be happy, too._

For Hyunjin, Jeongin can give up anything, even his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jeongin in his pink hoodie is the cutest ok i love guys in pink clothes because Real Men Wear Pink !!
> 
> i finally planned it out and this fic will have 5 chapters for sure!! 2 chapters left!! expect quicker updates cuz i know where it's going now lol.
> 
> anyway i cant believe i continued the trend of fluffy cute beginning depressing ending again? im sorry jeongin. but #neverforget jeongin's "one kid's room" where hyunjin said jeongin kept crying while they privately go out to eat cuz he bottles his emotions otherwise. so cute :'( ahhh i love hyunin--
> 
> kudos and comments are appreciated!! thank you for reading ♥
> 
> follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/hyuninacc) for updates and lots of ramblings/crying for skz! (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و ̑̑


	4. They Glimmer Bright

The first thing Jeongin does after getting home and back to his room is throwing himself on the bed, face planting onto the plush mattress.

Jeongin sighs then feels guilty because he has no right to sigh? The date had gone wonderfully. After the Cafe, Hyunjin had taken him to a nearby park for a leisure stroll and fed the pigeons, as he had exclaimed he wanted to do. The older had even whipped out his camera from his bag unexpectedly and snapped random pictures of the scenery, and Jeongin had watched him with a fond smile on his face. He hadn’t even known the other boy liked taking pictures, and felt vaguely proud that now he knows one more personal fact of Hwang Hyunjin he doubts other students in their school knows.

The date had gone well. Wonderful.

So then, why is it… He just feels this heaviness in his chest instead?

His phone beeps, snapping him out of his thoughts. When he looks at the text, he is shocked to find his own face staring back at him, crouching down on the ground feeding two pigeons with bread crumbs.

 **‘question of the day’** , the next text beeps, **‘whos cuter, the pigeons or the boy in the pic??’**

Jeongin bites his lip, typing a reply, **‘when did u take this? i didn’t realize…’**

**‘im a photographer, ok. taking pictures of things or people in their most natural elements is my specialty ;)’**

All Jeongin sends back is a **‘:P’** , but he immediately dials his friend.

“Yo yo it’s yo boy Felix, speaking.”

“Felix I’m going to die!”

“What! Did that Hyunjin dude dare hurt you on your date? Why I’m gonna―”

“Noooo,” Jeongin whines. “In fact, he did the opposite! He took me to this cutesy Cafe with cute Latte Art then we went to feed pigeons in a park…”

“That sounds… grossly romantic.” Jeongin can almost see Felix’s face blanching in his mind. “So why are you dying?”

“Because!” Jeongin sighs, putting the boy on speaker and scrolls through the text conversation again. “Hyunjin-hyung is so wonderful and so…”

“So…?”

“So… not mine.” The moment he whispers the words out, it makes everything realer than just thinking them inside his head.

There is a sigh on the other line. “Jeongin, I had warned you about this.”

“I know, I know. I’m stupid. I thought fake-dating him will just let me experience what it’s like to date a crush, but now it just… It makes me not want to let go.”

“Then don’t.”

“What?”

“ _Don’t_ let go. Tell him.”

Jeongin closes his eyes.

“Jeongin this is not the time to be shy!”

“I’m not being shy. I’m just… I know.”

“Know what?”

“That this is exactly what it is. A fake relationship to help Hyunjin-hyung enjoy his last few months of high school in peace.”

“Jeongin you are always so harsh on yourself! What if Hyunjin grows to like you now, too?”

Jeongin laughs lightly. “He can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because he already has someone he likes. Someone he would prefer to take to that cutesy Cafe with if only they like him back.”

“Wait… So you’re telling me while you have this―this unrequited love―”

“Crush.”

“Unrequited crush, whatever.” Again, it’s like he can hear Felix’s eyeroll over the phone. “On Hyunjin, and Hyunjin has an unrequited crush on someone else? Geez.”

“Yeah, I know.” Another laugh.

“Stop laughing! This situation sucks!”

“Not as bad for me as it is for Hyunjin,” Jeongin reasons. “At least I get to fake-date the person I like. Hyunjin-hyung doesn’t even get to do that. Maybe I should find out who he likes and help get them together.”

“Jeongin, you are too nice. How are we friends?”

He blinks. “Umn, because you’re nice too?” 

“Not as much as you! You’re what they called a blee-bleeding heart. Yeah, that’s the word!” Felix exclaims, struggling to pronounce the phrase correctly in Korean.

Jeongin giggles, “Where did you learn such a term?”

“From the Korean dramas my mom makes me watch with her, urg. So boring. But they help my vocabulary.”

“I know you secretly enjoy them,” Jeongin teases. “You’re actually a sap underneath all that deep voice and rapping gangsta speaking ways.”

“Hey! I take offense to that!” Felix protests, and the phone call devolves into their usual teasing, casual conversation that Jeongin can closes his eyes and converses without having to think and overthink on all the things clouding his mind.

 _I should just be grateful for what I have_ , Jeongin decides. _That this is enough._

From the moment Jeongin had agreed to be Hyunjin’s supposed boyfriend for the world to know, he had somewhat known many girls would hate him for it. Heck, the very day after, he had basically fled from the school gate to his classroom through a sea of glares and even got cornered by a group of girls right in front of his classroom.

So it’s not like Jeongin isn’t expecting some hate for it. He does.

But he didn’t think they would go so far as to resort to _this_.

“Why’re you just staring at your locker like that?” Felix asks, snapping him out of his thought.

Before he can hide it, the other boy is already leaning his head over.

“What the fuck is this! Did they―”

“It’s not a big deal,” Jeongin tries to say.

“Not a big―Someone broke into your locker and shredded all your textbooks and notebooks, Jeongin!” Felix gasps, eyes wide with fury. “Who would do this?”

Jeongin keeps silence. He has his guesses.

Especially when Felix snatches a piece of paper Jeongin’s hand is half-covering.

“‘ _Stay away from Hyunjin-oppa_ ,’” Felix reads with disbelief. “‘ _You are ugly and don’t deserve him. Stop spreading your gay germs―_ ’” Felix sucks in a sharp breath, not reading more because the note gets progressively worse with insults and slurs as it goes on. “Okay, who the fuck is this? I’m not the type to hit a girl but I really want to dirty my hands right now―”

“Felix, stop,” Jeongin grabs his arm when the other boy moves to turn around and storm away, presumably to find whoever did this. “There’s no way to know who. It could’ve been any of the girls in this school.”

“So what? We should at least report this to the teachers, this is bullying!”

“I don’t want to make this into a big deal. It’s just a note. It’s not like they physically hurt me or anything.”

“Because they’re cowards too afraid to face you! And they did hurt you―emotionally!”

Jeongin drops his gaze, sliding to his ripped books, dozens of pieces of paper tattered inside his locker, then sighs. “It’s just words. It’s no big deal.”

“Jeongin!”

“I mean, what can I do, really? It was my fault for agreeing to date Hyunjin-hyung. I kinda expected this.” Maybe not to this extend, but he knew he’d get animosity directed his way. “There’s no way to find out who the girl is. If I make a big deal they might do something worse, don’t you think? Those girls are just angry. Maybe it’ll pass now that they got to do this.” _I hope_ , Jeongin adds silently.

“There must be something we can do!” Felix sighs in frustration. “Maybe tell Hyunjin to tell his damn fangirls to quit bothering you? They might listen―”

“No!” Jeongin says hurriedly. “Don’t tell Hyunjin-hyung.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to trouble him―”

Felix’s glare stops his words. “ _You_ troubling him? When he’s the one troubling you?”

“I agreed to this, okay. It was my decision,” Jeongin repeats. “Besides, if Hyunjin says something, if he protects me, don’t you think it’ll anger those girls even more?”

“Urg, you have a point,” Felix groans. “But he should still know―”

“No.”

“Jeongin!”

“Felix, please. I don’t want him to feel bad and maybe even break up with me to protect me. I don’t.”

Felix looks torn, but the pleading look from Jeongin stops him from saying more. “Crush,” Felix says suddenly. “It’s not a simple crush, Jeongin.”

Jeongin drops his eyes to the ground, seeing a few torn paper fluttering atop his shoes, and doesn’t argue.

He knows Felix is right.

“Whoooo’s ready for lunch?” Hyunjin skips happily into the second-years’ class then stops in his tracks. “Huh? Why are you guys still studying?”

Jeongin looks up from his desk, from the various notes strewed across it, and says, “Oh. I’m uh, actually behind for this one class. So I’m gonna copy some of Felix’s notes to read them over later to catch up.”

Lies. Jeongin is trying to copy Felix’s notes because all of his were shredded, now discarded pieces of trash in the garbage can in the school courtyard.

“You can go to lunch though, Felix. You already lent me your notes. You don’t need to be here.”

Felix just frowns at him gloomily, obviously still mad over this whole incident and being unable to find the culprit or even report to somebody.

“Hyunjin-hyung, can you take Felix to go eat with the other hyungs?” Jeongin tries. “I’ll be fine. I just need to catch up on my studies.”

Hyunjin blinks, then smiles brightly. “Yeah, of course. Go eat lunch, Felix.”

“No, I’m staying right here with Jeongin because he shouldn’t be alone because someone has to be with him,” Felix mutters stubbornly.

“Never took you for the mom type, Felix,” Hyunjin raises an eyebrow at the boy. “But don’t worry, I’ll be here with Jeongin.”

“What?” Jeongin blinks. Before he can react, Hyunjin is taking the chair from the desk in front of him and dragging it backward. He then plops himself onto it reversely, so that his chest leans onto the back of the chair as he tilts himself until the back knocks onto the edge of Jeongin’s desk.

“I’ll be here with Jeongin instead,” Hyunjin repeats with a wink. “That’s what boyfriends are for, right?”

“I don’t know how helpful you’d be seeing as you don’t know―” Felix starts to mumble, but Jeongin cuts him off.

“Felix!”

His friend rolls his eyes, but relents. “Fine. Don’t wanna be a thirdwheel. But you better make sure not to leave Jeongin alone!”

Hyunjin looks confused by Felix’s sudden overprotectiveness, but salutes teasingly at him. “Yes sir.”

When Felix starts to leave to find Minho and Jisung, Jeongin glances back at Hyunjin. “You, too. Go eat lunch. I’m fine, really. I don’t need someone with me while I’m just copying down notes, geez.”

“I know you can take care of yourself and that you’re stronger than you look,” Hyunjin says, surprising Jeongin. “But I just want to keep you company, that’s all. Like I said, that’s what boyfriends are for, right?”

Jeongin feels his cheeks warm and quickly ducks his head, hurrying to scribble more notes. “Don’t blame me if you get hungry later.”

“You can take me to the new burger joint at the mall afterschool if you feel bad, baby bread,” Hyunjin chuckles, ruffling his hair which prompts Jeongin to half-heartedly swat his hand away.

“Maybe if I feel like it,” Jeongin mutters, going back to his notes.

For a moment, they sit in silence, the wind blowing past them from the open windows with nothing but muted laughters from outside as the background track. The classroom is completely empty except for them, everyone eager to get out of the stuffy classroom and enjoy their lunch break, and Jeongin is grateful.

A particularly strong gush of wind whizzes past, fluttering the pages from the notebook, and Jeongin clamps a palm to hold them down. He’s about to make an offhanded comment on how it’s almost March now but still so cold, but when he looks up to speak to Hyunjin, he finds the words die in his throat.

Because Hyunjin is―is just― _staring?_ At him. Jeongin had assumed the older boy would be on his phone, but instead Hyunjin is quietly staring at him with this calm but undecipherable look on his face.

Has he been staring at Jeongin this whole time while the younger was working on his notes?

“Is there something on my face?” Jeongin asks, trying not to blush.

The older boy doesn’t seem phased at being caught. Instead, he simply chuckles and says, “You’re cute, Jeongin.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. I’m cute like a piece of bread or something,” Jeongin rolls his eyes, recalling the nickname the older boy often teases him with.

“Mnn,” Hyunjin hums noncommittally.

Seeing as the older isn’t going to say anything more, Jeongin goes back to his notes. He is on his fifth page when Hyunjin speaks up out of nowhere.

“Hey, Jeongin?”

“Yeah?” he answers without looking up.

“Do you like anyone?”

Jeongin would’ve choked had he been chewing on something, but thankfully he isn’t, so he just coughs awkwardly instead. “What?”

Hyunjin shrugs, face nonchalant. “Just wondering. I should’ve maybe asked you that before we made our deal.”

“Well, seeing as I agreed, it’s obvious I wasn’t going out with anyone prior.”

“Just because you’re not dating doesn’t mean you can’t like someone, though,” Hyunjin points out.

“I…” Jeongin pauses, wondering what to say. If he should lie or tell the truth. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” he settles, a truth, but not the truth.

“What do you mean?”

“Even if I do like someone, that person doesn’t like me back.”

Hyunjin frowns. “Why not?”

“Because I’m… me.”

Hyunjin just looks confused.

Jeongin sighs, looking down. “I’m just a normal guy. There is nothing special about me. So there is no reason for them to like me bac―”

“ _Yang Jeongin_.”

Jeongin blinks. When he looks up, he startles from how… _angry_ the other boy looks, brows creasing on his forehead, lips pursed into a deep frown.

“How _dare_ you say this to me when you’re the one who told me I have many other qualities aside from my looks.”

“Because you do―”

“And you don’t? First of all, I keep telling you this, but you are very cute. Your smile lights up the room, Jeongin. And you are so hardworking, so earnest in everything you do―You keep staying afterschool to fill out the Class Journal, you are here instead of eating lunch to write down class notes. Most importantly, you are nice―you are _kind_. You didn’t have to agree to help me out that day, but you did. Jeongin, you are the nicest person I’ve ever met―”

“I’m not,” Jeongin mutters, eyes down onto his desk, unable to look at Hyunjin in the eyes for this truth. “I’m really not nice.” _I agreed to fake-date you because I had a crush on you_. That is the truth.

“Jeongin!”

Jeongin jolts when he feels a warm hand at his cheek, gently lifting his head up so he can look Hyunjin in the eyes.

“Why are you so down on yourself? Why can’t you see that―in a room, you’re the only―”

Jeongin blinks, watching with confusion when the older boy seems to struggle with words.

“You are _special_ , Jeongin. Even if you don’t believe yourself, you should at least believe me because I honestly think that,” Hyunjin continues. “You can be very shy and awkward, but I find that very endearing, and that’s not even to mention your _voice―_ ”

“My voice?” Jeongin repeats in puzzlement.

Hyunjin gasps suddenly, like he’d misspoke. “I mean, you have a very cute voice. It matches your cute face,” he hurriedly clarifies.

Jeongin tries to duck his head in embarrassment again, then realizes he can’t because Hyunjin’s palm is still holding his cheek, keeping his head up.

Hyunjin seems to realize that too, for he jerks his hand away. “S―Sorry. For kinda manhandling you like that, I meant. Not for anything I’ve said. Because all my words are truth.”

Jeongin bites on his lip, trying not to flush but failing. “Thanks, hyung.”

“I don’t want you to thank me, I just want you to know you are more special than you think you are.”

Jeongin stares at Hyunjin, at the sincerity clear as the first snow at the crack of dawn, and smiles softly.

 _Even if I am special in any way_ , he thinks but doesn’t say, _I just wish that I am special to you._

“Staying afterschool again?” Hyunjin asks when he swings by the second-years’ classroom. Felix waves them goodbye as Jeongin looks up from his journal.

“This won’t be too long,” Jeongin replies. Somehow, they had made it a ritual to go home together, frequently with accompanying stops to fast food places, the arcade, or even feeding random pigeons in the park with Hyunjin gushing over anything and everything about the scenery, snapping pictures randomly.

Of course, the girls still glare at him whenever they see Hyunjin and him leaving the school together. Thankfully, though, after the locker incident, he hasn’t gotten any more harassment from Hyunjin’s overzealous fans, and Felix had calmed down on his overprotectiveness.

It is now officially March, which means there are only a few weeks left until the older boy graduates. A few weeks left before this dream-like life ends for good.

“So what are you working on this time, Mr. Class President?” Hyunjin asks, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“The Cultural Festival is coming up,” Jeongin replies.

The Cultural Festival is the last School Festival of the year, held on the last Friday of the school year before graduations. It is usually a variety of mix-match performances held by the students to celebrate as another year comes to its end.

The older boy gasps. “Ah, you have to take volunteers for that as the President, right?”

Jeongin nods. “Yeah, volunteers,” he mumbles, wincing when he remembers last year. His class was too lazy to put up any type of performances, resulting in no volunteer, and since the school requires at least one performance from every class, Jeongin, as the Class President of last year’s, too, had been forced to basically self-volunteer himself to a performance out of necessity.

He had ended up solo singing a random favorite song of his at the time, because Felix was an asshole and had wanted to see him do a solo stage instead of joining for a duet. _This year I’m going to make Felix do a solo rap stage. See how he likes it_ , Jeongin thinks fierily.

“You think anyone in your class will volunteer to perform?” Hyunjin asks.

“Oh I know Felix will for sure,” Jeongin cackles almost evilly, wanting to rub his hands together like a Disney villain.

Hyunjin laughs, slightly confused on why Jeongin sounds so maniacal all of a sudden. “Okay…? What about you? Will you volunteer?”

Jeongin waves his hand away, writing Felix’s name down onto the Class Journal. “I’m the Class President. I’m supposed to plan the event, not perform.”

“Oh.”

“Perfect,” Jeongin giggles, seeing Felix’s name on the column of volunteers. It is then he notices the silence from the other boy, and winces at how he had let his evil side overtook him for a moment. Oops. “What about you? Think Minho-hyung and Jisung-hyung will volunteer? Or you?” he asks, looking up.

Hyunjin blinks, shrugging. “We’ll see. Minho wants to do a dance performance.”

“Really? I’d love to see it!” Jeongin brightens. “You told me Minho recruited you to his dance team, so I do want to see you guys dance!”

“Yeah?” the older grins. “Maybe. Let me ask him about it.”

“I hope you do!” Jeongin exclaims excitedly, snapping the journal shut. “And I’m done. We can go now.”

“Great! There’s this new fighting game out at the arcade, we can―”

“Hyunjin-oppa…?”

They both startle in surprise when they see about five girls crowding at the door.

Hyunjin puts a friendly smile on. “Hello! Can I help you with anything?”

“We just… we want to ask…” one of the girls seem hesitant.

“I can’t take this anymore!” another girl shouts, curling her hands into fists. “It’s been a month and I just can’t believe―”

“Huh?” Hyunjin is confused but Jeongin can already feels dread creeping up his spine.

“Oppa, are you really dating _him_?” a girl asks, pointing to Jeongin.

At this, Hyunjin sighs exasperatedly. “Of course I am. I told you guys already.”

“But why?”

“Because I like him.” Even though he knows that it’s a lie, Jeongin still feels his heart fluttering at the words.

“You can’t like him, oppa!”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re not gay!”

“Okay, first of all, you don’t know if I’m gay or not. Second of all, what I am has nothing to do with you,” Hyunjin corrects, frowning.

“But it does, Hyunjin-oppa, you’re our Prince!”

“Yes! A Prince cannot go out with a Commoner like that!” a girl exclaims, and already, Jeongin can feel himself shrinking.

“Hey!” Hyunjin shouts. “Don’t speak to him like that, Jeongin is―”

“I don’t believe you!” one of the girls keeps repeating. “You’re not gay, you can’t be!”

Hyunjin slides a hand through his hair in frustration. “Listen―”

“You have to be straight, you’re our Prince Charming―”

“Yes, you can’t be gay!”

“I can and I am.”

“Noooo, I don’t believe you!”

“I don’t care if you guys believe me or not. Now get out of our way, Jeongin and I have a date to go to.”

The girls obviously recoil back from the word ‘date’, but one girl sucks in a breath and starts speaking again. “I see you keep going on with these so-called dates with that guy, but I’ve watched you, you know. All you guys do is eat or play games or take walks around the city. Things that normal friends do!”

Jeongin feels his heart struck at that, because they―they hit true.

“They’re dates because we’re a couple,” Hyunjin states.

“No, I can’t believe that!”

“Okay, you’re really annoying me now―”

“If you’re really dating,” the girl says, a glimmer of something sharp in her eyes. “Then _kiss_ him.”

Jeongin feels his heart stop.

“W―What?” Hyunjin stammers.

“In the time you guys have been going out, I’ve never once seen you two kissed,” the girl hisses with a smirk on her face. “Surely if you’re gay and really like him and are going out, you would at least kiss him once!”

Jeongin feels himself wither, because it’s true. They haven’t kissed… because they were never real to begin with.

“Maybe I just don’t like PDA,” Hyunjin retorts. “Why should I kiss him in front of you guys anyway? I don’t have to prove anything to you lot.”

“Because we know it’s not true!” another girl says, feeling braver.

“Yes, we keep thinking about it―”

“You don’t have to prove anything to us… So I guess you don’t care if we are still left frustrated and continue to trash his locker then!”

“What…?” Hyunjin breathes.

“What, you didn’t know? We broke into his locker and shredded all his books before! And we’ll do it again because we still don’t believe he deserves you! You don’t even like him!”

“How dare you―”

“If you kiss him right now it’ll prove you actually do like him and we’ll leave him alone!”

“They harassed you because of _me…_?” Hyunjin asks, voice cracking as he stares in distraught at Jeongin.

“It’s… It’s not a big deal,” Jeongin mumbles.

“Yeah! If you really like him then kiss him so he won’t get harassed anymore!”

“But you can’t do it, can you?”

Hyunjin still looks torn and distraught, like he doesn’t know whether to be angry at those girls or apologize to Jeongin, and Jeongin, he is―

He is sick of everything.

He is sick of being a puppet for these girls to play with, to harass. To cause him hurt that leads to Hyunjin getting hurt, too.

 _Maybe it’s time to not be a coward, Yang Jeongin_ , he tells himself.

So, with a breathy voice that he can barely hear due to all the poundings inside his ears, Jeongin says, “Why don’t we prove it to them, then, hyung? Kiss me.”

Hyunjin only looks more shocked, if possible.

A long moment passes where both Jeongin and the girls wait with bated breath, and when Hyunjin takes a step towards Jeongin, the younger sucks in a breath, waiting for it.

The older boy lifts a hand up, like he’s about to reach out to Jeongin, to maybe pull him in, to maybe kiss him―

―Only for his hand to drop. For Hyunjin to turn away. For Hyunjin to say, “I’m sorry, I can’t do it.”

“We were right―” one of the girls murmur.

“You were right. I was only fake-dating Jeongin to get you girls off my back. Because, guess what, I hate you enough that even now it’s been revealed it was a fake relationship, I would still never in a million years date the likes of you,” Hyunjin’s words turn more and more furious as he narrows his eyes at the girls. “Never. You girls are despicable.”

“Oppa… No, we are sorry, we only wanted―”

The girls continue to apologize, but honestly, Jeongin doesn’t hear anything more.

He _can’t_ hear anything more.

For there is a ringing in his head. Getting louder and louder since the moment Hyunjin had dropped his hand. Had turned away from him.

Had _rejected_ him.

_You tried to be brave for once, and this is what you get, Yang Jeongin._

He should’ve known.

He really should’ve known.

Hyunjin had told him he was special? Maybe he is special.

Just not to _Hyunjin_.

And if so, then nothing ever matters.

A choking sound makes its way out of his traitorous throat, and god, his eyes are burning, and fuck, he can’t cry he _refuses_ to cry―

―Over a boy he knew had never liked him anyway.

_You knew this, Jeongin. You knew._

_“At the cost of your heart?”_ Felix’s question once again plays in his mind.

 _Yes_ , Jeongin had decided. _Even at the cost of my heart._

He had accepted. Had prepared.

He just hadn’t known it would _hurt this much_.

“Shit, Jeongin, I―” Hyunjin gasps, turning towards him once again. Reaching a hand out to him once again.

Except, this time, Jeongin doesn’t want it anymore.

Jeongin doesn’t want _Hyunjin_ anymore.

So he takes a step back. Grabs his bag, and does the only thing he can do.

He runs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meant to update this earlier but the holidays got me busy, oops.
> 
> also almost decided to end this chapter earlier so it'd end at a happier place FOR ONCE but then it'd make this fic into 6 chapters and i didnt want that so have this 4.4k chapter instead!
> 
> i hope u enjoyed the longer chapter and the cute moments!! except towards the ending... once again jeongin is hurt :( any guesses on why hyunjin didnt kiss jeongin? does he truly not like jeongin or is there another reason...? hmn 🤔
> 
> comments and kudos are appreciated!! thank you for reading ♥
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/hyuninacc)


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